There have been many sports that have started being able to be done with inline skates since the equipment has been made able to deal with them. This is the same with figure skating and artistic skating. The ability to move like one is on ice is made a little better with inline skating, but there are still limitations. This sport has a championship like roller skates and ice skates, which means it is recognized on the same level. The sport has grown in popularity, especially with people having access to well made equipment on level with the best professionals.
Practice Beginnings
The beginnings of the artistic inline skating came from the need for figure skaters to practice. The same can be said for those who did dance on the ice. This meant that the people who wanted this practice had to learn the differences so they would not get hurt. One such difference is with stopping, with ice skating requiring the weight to be in the middle and inline needs it to the rear of the skate. Several famous skaters, such as Brian Boitano and Tara Lipinski, were able to make a successful transition. This shows dedication and intelligence.
Figure Skating
Where there is figure skating on ice, the name change becomes artistic skating with skates with wheels. There is a figure skating category within the artistic roller skating competitions, but it is just one of nine divisions. The basics of figure skating remain within both versions and a person has to understand the turns and circles. These are very much similar to the compulsory figures that an ice skater has to perform, which many people see the first night of competition at the Olympics. This is the reason inline is good to duel compete or practice with inline.
Freestyle Versions
There are two versions of freestyle skating with roller skates. One of them is for the solo competitor and another is for a couples competition. Both have more spins, lifts, and jumps than the figure skating version. This takes more planning, as there are no set requirements for the competition. These can be far more artistic, as well. This is all performed to a piece of music and needs to be in rhythm to what has been chosen. With pairs, the duo needs to be able to stay with their partner at the same time like the movies.
Compulsory Dance
Dancing in skating has some similarities and differences in both ice and inline. After 2010, the inline skating version has compulsory moves that have to be made for the competition. There can be either singles or pairs in inline, but ice only has pairs. In singles, the dancer starts at a single spot and moves to different areas to be graded. In pairs, they do this together. This is a type of ballroom dancing with wheels and the dancers have to show elegance in their performance. The move timing has to match the rhythm of the chosen music.
Quartet Precision
This is where four people do a synchronized style of performance following compulsory designs. The skaters have to go along a line, box, and a circle. A splice is added to these shapes. The judges will grade the skaters on their ability to skate together and the choreography of the moves. There are some forms that have more than one grouping of four, but the primary one is just the one team. There is a theme throughout the entire performance to allow an even larger team aspect. This is more equivalent to synchronized swimming, but on some wheels.
Freestyle Dancing
This is the type of dancing one would see more in a skating rink as an example. There are either singles or duos for this and there are no compulsory elements. The music is played and the dancers move in their own manner on their skates. The judging of this style of artistic skating pays more attention to footwork and choreography than to any other aspect of the performance. There are restrictions on some elements in both the singles, which means duos jumps, spins, and lifts will not be seen like they are in other inline skating competitions.
Original Dance
If a person wants to see organized originality, they can watch an original dance competition. There is a section where there are a specific set of compulsory moves for the dancers to perform and then it allows creativity in choreography. This has replaced compulsory dance in many competitions, specifically at the junior and senior levels. This allows for greater artistic expression, while still making sure the performers understand the necessary elements for the judges. This is the type of competition that can be a draw for those who miss the style of ice competition and wants an alternative.
Club Show
There is an answer to large ice shows such as the Disney on Ice. These are club shows and they allow those on inline skates to show their ability and give large audiences a show that could either be a Disney level spectacle or a lower budget exhibition that could take on a story like a play. This allows all elements of inline artistic skating to be shown to their full extent without judges causing people to scream because of calls the fans disagree with. This is what people can see and be entertained by the glitz.
Inline artistic skating is not on television like the competitions that lead people to the Olympics, but they take as much work to get to the top tier. A person has to have both physical ability and inner rhythm to be able to make it in this area of sport. There are different areas that people can explore, but before starting a person should read up on the news of the sports to see how far they can go. This can also be a good way to start a career that does not need to have the hype that ice does.
